You have three different options when cutting your cigar. You can use a cutter, a punch, or bite it.

a. For a Cutter: Looking at the end of the cigar, there are usually three rings. You want to cut between the 2nd and third ring. Insert the head of the cigar into the cutter usually 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch down. Squeeze you cutter to cut the cigar and you are ready to smoke. Cutting too far up will cause the cigar to unravel, be careful. It is always best to cut short. you can recut later. Double bladed cutters always cut better than single blades.

b. For a Punch: Hold the metal tip of the punch up to the end of the cigar. Push and twist the punch into the end. Pull it out and your cigar is ready. Twisting helps create a smoother cut.

c. For Biting: You can bite off the end similar to using a cutter to cut the end of the cigar. This is not recommended since it can damage your cigar.

Lighting & Smoking

Butane lighters and wooden matches are best. Regular lighters can introduce other chemicals and flavors into your cigar. Smoking too fast will make your cigar burn hot and ruin the flavor. Smoking too slow will cause the cigar to go out and constantly need relighting.

a. Remove cigar from package if necessary.

b. Place banded end between your lips to form an airtight seal.

c. Light your match or flame away from your face.

d. Bring the flame to the tip of the cigar.

e. Puff on the cigar in short bursts and rotate it slowly to burn the tip evenly.

f. The tip of the cigar will begin to glow and the smoke will draw more easily.

g. It is not recommended to inhale, although some cigar smokers do. It is meant for the taste to be in your mouth and to then be blown out.

h. Continue to rotate your cigar about every minute during smoking to burn evenly.

Briar - Briar pipes originate from Saint-Claude, where they were made for the first time in 1850. Briar wood has a number of properties which make it highly suitable for making pipes: it can withstand high temperatures, is exceptionally hard, yet extremely light and looked after, it will last a lifetime. The briar root, is the part between the roots and the actual trunk of the tree. The tree is found on the hillsides of mainly Mediterranean regions. The older the shrub, the better the briar and thus your pipe. The wood is only suitable to be carved into its final shape after extensive treatment.

Meerschaum - Meerschaum pipes come mainly from Turkey. Meerschaum , a German word meaning literally ‘sea-foam’, is a fairly scarce product actually is a mineral, a rock made up of magnesium which can be found from a depth of approximately 25 metres. Meerschaum’s pipe-making qualities lie in the fact that it is a very lightweight, porous material, and is very soft, making it easy to work with. In addition, a meerschaum pipe changes colour over the years as it is smoked.

Corn Cob - The corncob pipe originates from America. These pipes are made from a corncob specially cultivated for the purpose., It is dried for approximately 2 years before being treated and coated. One cob normally makes two corncob pipes. What is unusual about this type of pipe is that, in addition to being very light and porous, it can take on a certain flavour and has a relatively short lifetime, although this is offset by very low cost.

Loading Your Pipe

a. Loosely fill the bowl with pipe tobacco.

b. DO NOT press firmly or pinch the tobacco with your thumb or fingers.

c. Use a tamper tool to press down the tobacco until its springy.

d. Bowl should be around 1/2 to 3/4 full of tobacco.

e. Take a test draw for resistance. If you have resistance, reload your bowl.

f. Repeat fill and tamper until tobacco is even with top of the bowl.

Lighting Your Pipe

False Light

a. Put pipe between your lips.

b. Apply match or torch flame to top of bowl in a circular motion.

c. Take small puffs on the pipe to char the tobacco on top.

d. Tobacco will swell up and unravel in the bowl.

e. This expels any extra moisture from the tobacco and prepares the tobacco for the True Light.

True Light

a. After the false light, the tobacco may have expanded above the top of the bowl.

b. Tamper the tobacco back to the top of the bowl level.

c. Relight your match or torch and reapply flame to the top of the bowl in a circular motion.

d. Take small puffs to stoke the flame.

e. The tobacco should not unravel anymore or puff up like it did with the false light.

f. You are now lit, enjoy puffing your pipe.

Smoking Your Pipe

a. If the smoke is too hot when entering your mouth, slow down and take long rhythmic puffs.

b. If your pipe goes out between puffs, this is normal. Relight according to true light steps.

c. If your pipe gets juicy while you smoke, try to keep your mouth as dry as possible. You may need to also clean your pipe by running a pipe cleaner through it.

d. If your pipe starts to taste nasty, stop. This can be caused by smoking too fast or the pipe not being broken in properly.

e. DO NOT take the stem off the pipe while it is hot. This may cause the stem to get loose or even break.

Cleaning Your Pipe

a. Use a Pipe Reamer to break up the tobacco in the bowl and tap out.

b. Run a pipe cleaner through the stem and then blow on the stem to ensure nothing is blocking the air passage to the bowl.

c. Optionally you can use Pipe Sweetener to clear the pipe of old lingering tobacco flavours.